June 16th 2013, By Stephen Makabila President Kenyatta&searchbutton=SEARCH'> Uhuru Kenyatta has declared total war on corruption, but the question remains whether his administration will walk the talk in eradicating the vice.
Some of those involved in anti-corruption war say it may
require a little more than sacrifice for Uhuru to succeed where his
predecessors largely failed.
The President, while opening the annual Kenya
Integrity Forum on Wednesday, vowed to ensure the country achieves a
corrupt-free society as envisaged in the third pillar of the Jubilee
manifesto on openness (Uwazi).“Because of its pervasive nature and magnitude, it is imperative that all sectors in our society work together in a concerted manner. I, therefore, appeal to the private sector, professional organisations, media, the civil society and indeed all Kenyans, to be actively involved in the fight against corruption,” said Uhuru.
His tough talk slightly over two months after assuming office is a reflection of what former President Kibaki pledged on the vice when he took office in 2002.
Then, Kibaki had said: “ Corruption will now cease to be a way of life in Kenya and I call upon all those members of my government and public officers accustomed to corrupt practice to know and clearly understand that there will be no sacred cows.”
Kibaki went ahead to appoint John Githongo as PS for Governance and Ethics based in his office, but as things went, the ugly face of corruption persisted, with the eruption of the Anglo-Leasing ghosts that consumed some of Kibaki’s ministers.
With the country’s long history of unsuccessful onslaught on corruption, the prevailing question is whether the Uhuru government will make any substantial progress on this front.
Most corrupt
Kenya’s ranking in the Corruption Perception Index 2012 improved to 139 out of 174 economies, with the police ranked as the most corrupt institution in East African.
Transparency International (TI)- Kenya Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Mbithi Kimeu says Uhuru’s government should at least achieve four benchmarks to demonstrate to the country it is serious in fighting graft.
“The Ethics and Anti-corruption Act was mutilated by the Tenth Parliament while the Leadership and Integrity Act was watered down at the Cabinet level. Uhuru’s government should first amend these two Acts and strengthen them to demonstrate it is serious in fighting corruption,” says Kimeu.
Kimeu says the Ethics and Ant- Corruption Commission (EACC) was equally weakened, lacks leadership due to absence of a substantive chairman, and that its transition from the Kenya Anti- Corruption commission was wanting due to controversy, some which is before court.
“Institutions that have been largely linked to corruption such as the police should also be cleaned and reforms put in place. This will demonstrate Uhuru has provided the political will that has for years lacked in fighting corruption,” adds Kimeu.
Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Ababu Namwamba says: “We have been treated to so much rhetoric about “zero tolerance” to corruption. That has now become just hollow cliche.”
Namwamba says the Jubilee government, and indeed all future governments must be judged not by the beauty of their rhetoric but by the cutting edge of their actions.
“President Uhuru may mean well, but does he have the fire in the belly, the driving desire to decisively scatter those shadowy worms of graft crawling across the length and breadth of the woodwork of state power?” he says.
The PAC chairman went on: “When I see the sword of Damocles fall firmly, decisively and repeatedly, manifestly dismembering and scattering the serpent of corruption to the four winds, only then shall I start to believe.”
Mars Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mwalimu Mati says although all Kenyans support Uhuru’s pledge to fight corruption, the country is used to a history of disappointments when it comes to the war on graft.
“As much as we support the President, the leadership should look within itself because there are some officials in his government still under investigation on corruption related cases,” he says.
According to Mati, corruption is an economic sabotage, which should be punishable by death penalty.
“We should move away from holding conference to discuss corruption because this has happened for decades. We should act through tough penalties for those involved,” he adds.
Although the legal framework to fight corruption is in place, lack of commitment on the part of anti-corruption agencies, political will and prosecuting those involved in graft still remains a mirage.
Huge losses
In December 2010, the then Treasury PS Joseph
Kinyua told Parliament the country loses between 30 to 35 per cent of
its yearly budgets to corruption, which then translated to about Sh300
billion. Under the new Constitution, “State powers of prosecution” are
now under the ambit of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).Uhuru on Wednesday directed the Kenya Integrity Forum, the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission and the 14 sectors implementing the National Anti- Corruption Plan to step up surveillance and institute quick proceedings and sanctions against officers found to be corrupt.
He said corruption will only be fought if Kenyans change values and principles, and that if not well addressed, corruption may hinder the achievement of Vision 2030 and other development goals.
“Let us all move beyond the practice of decrying the prevalence of corruption within Government and join hands in doing what each one of us can do to eradicate this vice from our society,” said the President. Flanked by the Deputy President William Ruto and Attorney General Githu Muigai, Uhuru told all public officers to abide by the principles of leadership and integrity. Bomet County Women Representative Cecilia Ngetich said instead of Kenyans remaining pessimistic on whether the war on corruption can be won, they should rally behind Government efforts.
“The President has said it’s the responsibility of all to fight corruption and it is upon us to take up that challenge,” Ngetich told The Standard on Sunday.
EACC acting chairperson Irene Keino had earlier in the year said corruption hinders economic growth through four major ways.
She said it discourages foreign and domestic investment, entrepreneurship, lowers the quality of public infrastructure and decreases tax revenue. Keino says causes of corruption are always contextual, rooted in a country’s policies, bureaucratic traditions, political development, and social history, and that it must be treated as the product of institutional failures, not simply individual moral failings.
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